RESUMO
The development, at the experimental level, of therapeutic strategies based on natural products to attenuate neurological alterations in degenerative disorders has gained attention. Antioxidant molecules exhibit both anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Alpha-mangostin (α-Man) is a natural xanthonoid isolated from the mangosteen tree with demonstrated antioxidant and cytoprotective properties. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant and protective properties of α-Man, both ex vivo and in vivo. We assessed the mitochondrial reductant capacity and oxidative damage to lipids in rat cortical slices, and several endpoints characteristic of physiological stress in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), upon exposure to the parkinsonian neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). In rat cortical slices, α-Man (25 and 50 µM) reduced the 6-OHDA (100 µM)-induced oxidative damage to lipid levels, but failed to reverse loss in cell viability. In wild-type (N2) C. elegans, α-Man (5-100 µM) protected against 6-OHDA (25 mM)-induced decrease in survival when administered either as pre- or post-treatment. Protective effects of α-Man were also observed on survival in the VC1772 strain (skn-1 KO-) exposed to 6-OHDA, though the extent of the protection was lesser than in the wild-type N2 strain. However, α-Man (5-50 µM) failed to attenuate the 6-OHDA-induced motor alterations in the N2 strain. The loss of lifespan induced by 6-OHDA in the N2 strain was fully reversed by high concentrations of α-Man. In addition, while 6-OHDA decreased the expression of glutathione S-transferase in the CL2166 C. elegans strain, α-Man preserved and stimulated the expression of this protein. α-Man (25 µM) also prevented 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the BZ555 C. elegans strain. Altogether, our novel results suggest that α-Man affords partial protection against several, but not all, short-term toxic effects induced by 6-OHDA in cortical slices and in a skn-1-dependent manner in C. elegans.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans , Fármacos Neuroprotetores , Síndromes Neurotóxicas , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Caenorhabditis elegans , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Humanos , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/metabolismo , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/farmacologia , Síndromes Neurotóxicas/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo , Oxidopamina/metabolismo , Oxidopamina/toxicidade , Ratos , XantonasRESUMO
Phytochemical electrophiles are drawing significant attention due to their properties to modulate signaling pathways related to cellular homeostasis. The aim of this study was to develop new tools to examine the electrophilic activity in food and predict their beneficial effects on health. We developed a spectrophotometric assay based on the nitrobenzenethiol (NBT) reactivity, as a thiol-reactive nucleophile, to screen electrophiles in tomato fruits. The method is robust, simple, inexpensive, and could be applied to other types of food. We quantified the electrophile activity in a tomato collection and associated this activity with the pigment composition. Thus, we identified lycopene, ß- and γ-carotenes, 16 by-products of carotenoid oxidation and 18 unknown compounds as NBT-reactive by HPLC-MS/MS. The potential benefits of NBT-reactive compounds on health were evaluated in the in vivo model of C. elegans where they activated the SKN-1/Nrf2 pathway, evidencing the ability of electrophilic compounds to induce a biological response.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans , Solanum lycopersicum , Animais , Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA , Suplementos Nutricionais , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/genética , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Fatores de TranscriçãoRESUMO
Monovalent thallium (Tl+) is a cation that can exert complex neurotoxic patterns in the brain by mechanisms that have yet to be completely characterized. To learn more about Tl+ toxicity, it is necessary to investigate its major effects in vivo and its ability to trigger specific signaling pathways (such as the antioxidant SKN-1 pathway) in different biological models. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a nematode constituting a simple in vivo biological model with a well-characterized nervous system, and high genetic homology to mammalian systems. In this study, both wild-type (N2) and skn-1 knockout (KO) mutant C. elegans strains subjected to acute and chronic exposures to Tl+ [2.5-35 µM] were evaluated for physiological stress (survival, longevity, and worm size), motor alterations (body bends), and biochemical changes (glutathione S-transferase regulation in a gst-4 fluorescence strain). While survival was affected by Tl+ in N2 and skn-1 KO (worms lacking the orthologue of mammalian Nrf2) strains in a similar manner, the longevity was more prominently decreased in the skn-1 KO strain compared with the wild-type strain. Moreover, chronic exposure led to a greater compromise in the longevity in both strains compared with acute exposure. Tl+ also induced motor alterations in both skn-1 KO and wild-type strains, as well as changes in worm size in wild-type worms. In addition, preconditioning nematodes with the well-known antioxidant S-allylcysteine (SAC) reversed the Tl+-induced decrease in survival in the N2 strain. GST fluorescent expression was also decreased by the metal in the nematode, and recovered by SAC. Our results describe and validate, for the first time, features of the toxic pattern induced by Tl+ in an in vivo biological model established with C. elegans, supporting an altered redox component in Tl+ toxicity, as previously described in mammal models. We demonstrate that the presence of the orthologous SKN-1 pathway is required for worms in evoking an efficient antioxidant defense. Therefore, the nematode represents an optimal model to reproduce mammalian Tl+ toxicity, where toxic mechanisms and novel therapeutic approaches of clinical value may be successfully pursued.
Assuntos
Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Tamanho Corporal/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/efeitos dos fármacos , Cisteína/análogos & derivados , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Longevidade/efeitos dos fármacos , Compostos Organometálicos/toxicidade , Fatores de Transcrição/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Caenorhabditis elegans/efeitos dos fármacos , Caenorhabditis elegans/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Cisteína/farmacologia , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Técnicas de Inativação de Genes , Glutationa Transferase/efeitos dos fármacos , Glutationa Transferase/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
Caffeic acid (CA) is a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative and polyphenol with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The neuroprotective properties of CA still need detailed characterization in different biological models. Here, the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of CA were compared in in vitro and in vivo neurotoxic models. Biochemical outcomes of cell dysfunction, oxidative damage, and transcriptional regulation were assessed in rat cortical slices, whereas endpoints of physiological stress and motor alterations were characterized in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). In rat cortical slices, CA (100 µM) prevented, in a differential manner, the loss of reductive capacity, the cell damage, and the oxidative damage induced by the excitotoxin quinolinic acid (QUIN, 100 µM), the pro-oxidant ferrous sulfate (FeSO4, 25 µM), and the dopaminergic toxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 100 µM). CA also restored the levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/antioxidant response element (Nrf2/ARE; a master antioxidant regulatory pathway) binding activity affected by the three toxins. In wild-type (N2) of C. elegans, but not in the skn-1 KO mutant strain (worms lacking the orthologue of mammalian Nrf2), CA (25 mM) attenuated the loss of survival induced by QUIN (100 mM), FeSO4 (15 mM), and 6-OHDA (25 mM). Motor alterations induced by the three toxic models in N2 and skn-1 KO strains were prevented by CA in a differential manner. Our results suggest that (1) CA affords partial protection against different toxic insults in mammalian brain tissue and in C. elegans specimens; (2) the Nrf2/ARE binding activity participates in the protective mechanisms evoked by CA in the mammalian cortical tissue; (3) the presence of the orthologous skn-1 pathway is required in the worms for CA to exert protective effects; and (4) CA exerts antioxidant and neuroprotective effects through homologous mechanisms in different species.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Ácidos Cafeicos/farmacologia , Córtex Cerebral/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/metabolismo , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/farmacologia , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Caenorhabditis elegans , Córtex Cerebral/efeitos dos fármacos , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Masculino , Técnicas de Cultura de Órgãos , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
The tryptophan metabolite, quinolinic acid (QUIN), and the mitochondrial toxin 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) are two important tools for toxicological research commonly used in neurotoxic models of excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, energy depletion, and neuronal cell death in mammals. However, their toxic properties have yet to be explored in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) for the establishment of novel, simpler, complementary, alternative, and predictive neurotoxic model of mammalian neurotoxicity. In this work, the effects of QUIN (1-100 mM) and 3-NP (1-10 mM) were evaluated on various physiological parameters (survival, locomotion, and longevity) in a wild-type (WT) strand of C. elegans (N2). Their effects were also tested in the VC1772 strain (knock out for the antioxidant SKN-1 pathway) and the VP596 strain (worms with a reporter gene for glutathione S-transferase (GST) transcription) in order to establish the role of the SKN-1 pathway in the mode of action of QUIN and 3-NP. In N2, the higher doses of both toxins decreased survival, though only QUIN altered motor activity. Both toxins also reduced longevity in the VC1772 strain (as compared to N2 strain) and augmented GST transcription in the VP596 strain at the highest doses. The changes induced by both toxins require high doses, and therefore appear moderate when compared with other toxic agents. Nevertheless, the alterations produced by QUIN and 3-NP in C. elegans are relevant to mammalian neurotoxicity as they provide novel mechanistic approaches to the assessment of neurotoxic events comprising oxidative stress and excitotoxicity, in the nematode model.
Assuntos
Anti-Hipertensivos/toxicidade , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Nitrocompostos/toxicidade , Propionatos/toxicidade , Ácido Quinolínico/toxicidade , Fatores de Transcrição/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Caenorhabditis elegans , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Corpo Estriado/efeitos dos fármacos , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Síndromes Neurotóxicas/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
Organic selenium and tellurium compounds are known for their broad-spectrum effects in a variety of experimental disease models. However, these compounds commonly display high toxicity and the molecular mechanisms underlying these deleterious effects have yet to be elucidated. Thus, the need for an animal model that is inexpensive, amenable to high-throughput analyses, and feasible for molecular studies is highly desirable to improve organochalcogen pharmacological and toxicological characterization. Herein, we use Caenorhabdtis elegans (C. elegans) as a model for the assessment of pharmacological and toxicological parameters following exposure to two 4-phenylchalcogenil-7-chloroquinolines derivatives (PSQ for selenium and PTQ for tellurium-containing compounds). While non-lethal concentrations (NLC) of PTQ and PSQ attenuated paraquat-induced effects on survival, lifespan and oxidative stress parameters, lethal concentrations (LC) of PTQ and PSQ alone are able to impair these parameters in C. elegans. We also demonstrate that DAF-16/FOXO and SKN-1/Nrf2 transcription factors underlie the mechanism of action of these compounds, as their targets sod-3, gst-4 and gcs-1 were modulated following exposures in a daf-16- and skn-1-dependent manner. Finally, in accordance with a disturbed thiol metabolism in both LC and NLC, we found higher sensitivity of trxr-1 worm mutants (lacking the selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase 1) when exposed to PSQ. Finally, our study suggests new targets for the investigation of organochalcogen pharmacological effects, reinforcing the use of C. elegans as a powerful platform for preclinical approaches.
Assuntos
Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Caenorhabditis elegans/efeitos dos fármacos , Calcogênios/farmacologia , Compostos Organometálicos/farmacologia , Compostos Organosselênicos/farmacologia , Quinolinas/farmacologia , Telúrio/farmacologia , Animais , Antioxidantes/síntese química , Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Caenorhabditis elegans/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Calcogênios/síntese química , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição Forkhead/genética , Fatores de Transcrição Forkhead/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Longevidade/efeitos dos fármacos , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/genética , Fator 2 Relacionado a NF-E2/metabolismo , Compostos Organometálicos/síntese química , Compostos Organosselênicos/síntese química , Oxidantes/antagonistas & inibidores , Oxidantes/toxicidade , Estresse Oxidativo , Paraquat/antagonistas & inibidores , Paraquat/toxicidade , Quinolinas/síntese química , Transdução de Sinais , Superóxido Dismutase/genética , Superóxido Dismutase/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Plant-parasitic nematode interactions occur within a vast molecular plant immunity network. Following initial contact with the host plant roots, plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) activate basal immune responses. Defence priming involves the release in the apoplast of toxic molecules derived from reactive species or secondary metabolism. In turn, PPNs must overcome the poisonous and stressful environment at the plant-nematode interface. The ability of PPNs to escape this first line of plant immunity is crucial and will determine its virulence. SCOPE: Nematodes trigger crucial regulatory cytoprotective mechanisms, including antioxidant and detoxification pathways. Knowledge of the upstream regulatory components that contribute to both of these pathways in PPNs remains elusive. In this review, we discuss how PPNs probably orchestrate cytoprotection to resist plant immune responses, postulating that it may be derived from ancient molecular mechanisms. The review focuses on two transcription factors, DAF-16 and SKN-1 , which are conserved in the animal kingdom and are central regulators of cell homeostasis and immune function. Both regulate the unfolding protein response and the antioxidant and detoxification pathways. DAF-16 and SKN-1 target a broad spectrum of Caenorhabditis elegans genes coding for numerous protein families present in the secretome of PPNs. Moreover, some regulatory elements of DAF-16 and SKN-1 from C. elegans have already been identified as important genes for PPN infection. CONCLUSION: DAF-16 and SKN-1 genes may play a pivotal role in PPNs during parasitism. In the context of their hub status and mode of regulation, we suggest alternative strategies for control of PPNs through RNAi approaches.